Automatic lubricator for slide-valves.



"Patented My 9, leoL' No. 677,90l. .1. w; STEWART. AUTOMATIC LUBRIGATDR FOB'SLIDE VALVES.

(Application filed Sept. 12, 1900.)

. (No Model.)

\ 4 A 6 /7/ Illa //%////////////%zww/////////////%///////// dd; asses Z 4 Fig .Afiongys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN WESLEY STEWART, OF TYRONE, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC LUBRICATOR FOR SLIDE-VALVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,901, dated July 9, 1901.

Application filed September 12 1900. Serial Noa 29,882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN WESLEY STEWART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ty; rone, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Automatic Lubricator for Slide-Valves, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in automatic lubricators for slide-valves.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of automatic lubricators for slide-valves and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive one designed to be applied to the steam-chests of locomotives and other engines for supplying a lubricant to the same and adapted to relieve the oil-inlet of steam-pressure, to obviate the necessity of driving the lubricant into the steam-chest, and to enable any ordinary oil-cup or analogous lubricating device to be employed.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a steam-chest provided with an automatic lubricator constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view illustrating the construction of the automatic lubricator. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the automatic lubricator. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the tubular valve with its depending fork.

Like numerals ofreference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawlngs.

1 designates a tubular valve of cylindrical form arranged within a cylindrical casing 2 at the topof a steam-chest 3, which is provided with a slidewalve 4 of any ordinary construction. The slide-valve and the steamchest are provided with the usual ports, and the cylindrical casing 2 of the tubular valve is mounted within an approximately triangular support or bracket 5, designed to be se-.

cured to the top of the steam-chest, abovethe center thereof, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings. The approximately triangular bracket or support is composed of approximately triangular end Walls 6 and inclined sides 7, and it is provided at its ends with flanges 8, which are perforated for the reception ofsuitable fastening devices for securing the bracket to the top of the steamchest.

The tubular valve, which is adapted to turn Within the cylindrical casing, is provided with openings or ports9 and 10, and it has a depending fork 11, rigidly connected with it at one end and straddling a grooved roller or wheel 12,0f the slide-valve 4. The fork is arranged in a vertical position, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, when the slide-valve is at thecenter of its stroke, and the grooved wheel or roller 12 is mounted on a suitable pivot or journal at the center of the stroke of the slide-valve or at a point midway between the ports of the same, so that it will lie directly beneath the lubricator when the slide-valve is at the center of its stroke. When the slide-valve is reciprocated, the fork will be oscillated and will oscillate the tubular valve. When the fork is at one end of the stroke of the slide-valve, the port or opening 9 at the bottom of the tubular valve 1 registers with a lower discharge opening or port 13 at the bottom of the casing, and as the slidevalve is reciprocated and the fork is carried toward the other end of the stroke of the said slide-valve the lower port 13 for the discharge of oil will be closed to shut off the steam-pres sure from the interior of the valve, and the opening-or port 10 of the latter will be first carried into' register with arelief-port 14: to permit the steam to escape and to reduce the pressure within the valve, so that oil will flow into the same when the upper port or opening registers with an oil-inlet opening 15 of the top of the valve-casing. The oil-inlet opening 15 at the top of the valve-casing is designedto communicate with the oil-pipe 16 of an oil cup or holder 17, and it will be readily apparent that as the steam-pressure is removed from the interior of the Valve when the inlet-port at the lower end of: the oil-tube is open the lubricant will be permitted to flow freely into the valve and will not require any power to force it into the same, and an ordivalve-casin g are closed or covered, so that the nary oil-cup or lubricant-holder may be employed. On the return stroke of the slide valve theoil-inlet opening is first closed and the relief-port is again uncovered and then closed before the lower opening or port 9 registers with the oil-discharge opening or port 13 at the bottom of the valve-casing. When the discharge opening or port 13 at the bottom of the casing is open, the relief-port and the oil-inlet port or opening at the top of the steam is not permitted to escape from the same and the lubricant-holder is relieved of the steam-pressure. As the steam will enter the valve, the pressure on the interior of the same will beequal to the pressure within thesteam chest and the lubricant will be permitted to flow freely into the same.

The valves are designed to be constructed I right and left hand to correspond with the steam-chest of a locomotive, and they are adapted to be applied to the steam-chest of various other forms of engines. The top of the steam-chest is provided with an openingor port 18, which communicates with the relief-port; but this may consist of a continuous passage, and the outer end of the relief-. port isdesigned to be plugged with cotton or any other suitable material which will permit the escape of the steam and at the same time exclude dust and other foreign matter from the valve. This porous filling or plug 19 may be arranged as illustrated in Fig. 2 ofthe accompanying drawings, or any other suitable means may be provided to effect this result.

The valve is adapted to feed the lubricant slidervalve is in motion, and it will automat-. ical'ly shut off the flowof the lubricant when the engine is stopped, so that there will be no waste. of oil.

One end of the cylindrical casing 2 is open and the other end is provided with an aperture'for the. reception of a stem 20, projecting centrally from the adjacent end of the valve 1 and provided with a perforation for Y the reception of a split key 21 or other suitable fastening device for retaining the valve in the casing; but any other suitable-means may be employed for effecting this result, and the bracket or support may be cast solid or otherwise formed to secure the necessary that various other changes in the form, pr0-.

struetion Within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to without departing and durability, and that it is adapted to be readily applied to the steam-chests of locomotives and various other forms of engines Whether stationary or movable. It will also be apparent that the automatic lubricator relieves the oil-inlet opening of steam-pressure to obviate the necessityof forcing the oil into the steam-chest and to enable an oil-cup or any other form of lubricant-holder to be employed and that the relief-port permits the escape of steam to reduce the pressure in the automatic lubricator before the oil-inlet opening is uncovered. Furthermore, it will be apparent that the fabric plug of the reliefport will permit the ready escape of steam and at the same time exclude dirt and other foreign matter from the lubricator and the steam-chest.

What I claim is,-.

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a lubricant-holder, a valvecasing designed to be located within a steamchest and provided with oil inlet and discharge openings and having a relief-port, the oil-inlet opening communicating with thelubricant-holder, and a valve mounted within the valve-casing and adapted to uncover the openings and the relief-port of the valve-casing successively, whereby the oil-inlet open- .ing is relieved of steam-pressure, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a device of the class described, the 5 combination of a valve-casing designed to. be

located within a steam-chest and provided with oil inlet and discharge openings and .havinga relief-port, and a valve arranged to I successively uncover the openings and the relief-port of the valve-casing, whereby the oilinlet" is relieved of steam-pressure, substanautomatically to the steam-chestwhile the tially as and for the. purpose described.

3. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a valve-casing designed to be mounted within a steam-chest and provided with oil inlet and discharge openings and .having a relief-port, a valve arranged Within the valve-casing, and means for connecting the valve with a slide-valve, substantially as described.

4'. In a device of the class. described, the

:combination of a lubricant-holder, a valve- 1 casing designed to be mounted within a steamchest and communicating with the lubricant- :holder, an oscillatory valve mounted within the valve-casing, and an oscillating member fixed to the oscillatory valve and designed to strength, and I desire it to be understood be connected with a slide-valve, substantially I as. described. portion, size, and the minor details of con- 5. In a device of the class described, the

1 combination of a valve-casing designed to be located within a steam-chest, a tubular oscillatory valve provided with a depending fork, and a roller or wheel designed to be mounted on a slide-vavle and receiving the fork, sub Istantially as described.

construction, that it possesses great strength 6. In a device of the classdescribed, the

oil inlet and discharge openings and provided In testimony that I claim the foregoing as with a relief-port communicating with the my own I have hereto affixed my signature in atmosphere, a valve arranged to successively I the presence of two witnesses.

uncover the openings and the port, and a porous plug adapted to permit the escape of steam and to prevent foreign matter from entering the valve, substantially as described.

JOHN WESLEY STEWART. Witnesses:

HARRY A. THOMPSON, HERBERT GIBSON. 

